By Christian John Lillis

Americans’ treatment of our bodies often reminds me of investment schemes. Risks, manipulations, and false rewards, so obvious in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the exposure of Bernie Madoff, raised few eyebrows beforehand. Yet there were whistleblowers, and warning signs.

That’s why the work of Dr. Martin Blaser is so important, and why public health leaders and policy-makers are paying attention to his new book Missing Microbes. Dr. Blaser, who heads the Human Microbiome Program at NYU, is asking questions about the overuse of antibiotics that echo far beyond the ranks of clinicians.

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